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Tara of Helium saw her last chance fading into oblivion. There would never be

another after today. She cast about for some pretext to lure him even a little

nearer to the hills.

"It is very little that I ask," she said. "Tonight you will want me to sing to you. It

will be the last time, if you do not let me go and see what those kaldanes are

doing I shall never sing to you again."

Ghek hesitated. "I will hold you by the arm all the time, then," he said.

"Why, of course, if you wish," she assented. "Come!"

The two moved toward the workers and the hills. The little party was digging

tubers from the ground. She had noted this and that nearly always they were

stooped low over their work, the hideous eyes bent upon the upturned soil. She

led Ghek quite close to them, pretending that she wished to see exactly how they

did the work, and all the time he held her tightly by her left wrist.

It is very interesting," she said, with a sigh, and then, suddenly; "Look, Ghek!"

and pointed quickly back in the direction of the tower. The kaldane, still holding

her turned half away from her to look in the direction she had indicated and

simultaneously, with the quickness of a banth, she struck him with her right fist,

backed by every ounce of strength she possessed--struck the back of the pulpy

head just above the collar. The blow was sufficient to accomplish her design,

dislodging the kaldane from its rykor and tumbling it to the ground. Instantly the

grasp upon her wrist relaxed as the body, no longer controlled by the brain of

Ghek, stumbled aimlessly about for an instant before it sank to its knees and

then rolled over on its back; but Tara of Helium waited not to note the full results

of her act. The instant the fingers loosened upon her wrist she broke away and

dashed toward the hills. Simultaneously a warning whistle broke from Ghek's lips

and in instant response the workers leaped to their feet, one almost in the girl's

path. She dodged the outstretched arms and was away again toward the hills and

freedom, when her foot caught in one of the hoe-like instruments with which the

soil had been upturned and which had been left, half imbedded in the ground.

For an instant she ran on, stumbling, in a mad effort to regain her equilibrium,

but the upturned furrows caught her feet--again she stumbled and this time went

down, and as she scrambled to rise again a heavy body fell upon her and seized

her arms. A moment later she was surrounded and dragged to her feet and as she

looked around she saw Ghek crawling to his prostrate rykor. A moment later he

advanced to her side.

The hideous face, incapable of registering emotion, gave no clue to what was

passing in the enormous brain. Was he nursing thoughts of anger, of hate, of

The Chessmen of Mars